Infinite DCU: Flash
by InfiniteUniverse10
Summary: Please check out the JL page for more updates on this story!
1. Past

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS APPEARING IN THIS WORK!**

**Note: Hey, guys! IU10 here with another amaaazing story XD. This is the 3****rd**** of my ongoing DC series, The Flash…obviously…you read the title and now you're reading this so you should know that…Well, anyway, this is one of the stories I have made the biggest changes to. I personally, believe they are creative and good changes, so I hope you enjoy the story. It'll be exciting and have romance and it'll hit the ground running…(get it? XD)**

**1 Cover- Wally West's face, and above him slightly faded is Barry as the Flash, running.**

**1 Variant- Wally West wearing his Flash costume, a lightning bolt striking behind him.**

**INFINITE FLASH**

**Past**

_My name is Wally West. I'm the fastest man alive. I'm the Flash. This is my story. It all starts almost eighty years ago in Central City…_

Barry Allen was practically a genius. He'd gotten a PhD in biomechanical engineering and also had gotten his major in Forensic Science from Central University, one of the nation's leading educational institutes. He was clearly going to go far, change the world…and the world definitely needed some changing with what was going on in Europe and the Pacific at this time.

The years was 1942, right in the middle of World War 2, and Barry Allen was indeed going to change the world in a very big way…he just didn't know it yet.

Barry was rushing to work, carrying all of his supplies in his hands. His blonde hair was falling in front of his eyes making it even harder for him to traverse the dense Central City streets. You see, for all the good things Barry Allen had going for him he had one really big problem: he was always late.

Barry worked for a company, Flash Inc., that worked for the government and he was attempting to make a new suit that would hopefully increase the speed of the entire body. If the suit did work it would be mass-produced and sent to the Ally Soldiers in Europe to use and hopefully change he war.

Barry arrived at his lab at exactly 9:30, an hour and a half after he was supposed to be there.

"Dr. Allen!"

Barry suddenly turned around to see the grim face of his boss, Jay Garrick.

"You're always to damn late! What do you have to say for yourself?" Jay shouted.

"I…I…the suit works…hopefully." Barry replied, sweat beading down his neck.

"It better, because if it doesn't you're fired," Jay then commanded Barry to follow him upstairs.

Barry followed the slim, elderly man, to a large room. Almost twenty people sat in the room, all around a large marble table.

"Barry, this is the Board of Directors for the company, Flash Incorporated. They are here to see your demonstration," Jay stated, with an almost whimpering voice Barry had never heard out of the man.

"Um…yes, sir." Barry walked to the front of the room and set down the box that he was holding in his hands.

"Well, uh, hello everyone. As I'm sure you know my name is Barry Allen. I'm a residential scientist on the 13th floor and…"

"Get on with it," Jay growled.

"And I'm happy to show you what I like to call…The Flash Suit!" Barry quickly opened up the box and pulled out a long red spandex suit. Twin lightning bolts were where each ear would be and there was an opening on the mask for eyes and a mouth. The rest was entirely red, with a lightning pattern on each of the elbows and on the waist of the suit.

None of the directors seemed pleased by this and Barry pulled out red boots from the box, "It has matching boots?"

"Continue," An older fat man ordered.

"Yes, sir. You see I have successfully created nanite technology. Nanites are these little robots that are the size of an atom but have the power to do so much more! Nanites are sowed into every fiber of this suit and with nanites help, the Flash Suit should be able to speed up the normal, everyday movements of running and walking…as well as thinking, the body's ability to heal and can even speed up every atom in the body to the point that you can pass through substances," Barry grinned as he noticed the Board was interested.

"And what does it take to power it?" One of the Board members asked.

"It…should…only take this battery…" Barry took an extremely large battery out of the box that he was struggling to hold up and he put it on the ground in front of him. He connected two red power chords to the suit and then proceeded to put the suit on, "I'll demonstrate the suit for you now!"

He finished putting on the suit and turned on the battery and…

"Is something supposed to be happening?" The fat man asked again.

"Um…actually, yes…" Barry turned the battery on and then off again. He did this over and over.

"I guess…well…I thought this might happen…you see…it probably would take the entire Central City power grid to power this for a day. The nanites…they…" Barry prayed that he wouldn't be fired. He did not get the response he wanted.

"Barry, get out of here now. You're fired." Jay said through a scowl.

"I…" Barry stopped himself from responding, put the battery away in the box and left the building, still in costume.

"Hahaha, loser! Why're you dressing in tights? Ya' think you're some sorta' superhero or somethin'?" A thirteen-year-old kid laughed at him as he trudged home.

Barry worked on the suit for the rest of the night, determined to get it working with a smaller battery. The only problem was there was no way it would work with a smaller battery. It just couldn't. The nanites needed a practically endless source of energy to keep going.

Barry yawned and lay back in his work chair. He looked at the clock. It was 3:45 at night.

He then looked outside and saw that rain was pattering against the ground and lightning flashed through the sky…

"That's it!" Barry ran outside, putting on The Flash suit as he did. He ran through the empty streets all the way to the center of town, right where the tallest building in Central City was…the Central City National History Museum.

Currently, the museum was closed and the fence around it was chained but Barry ignored the DO NOT TRESPASS sign and hopped the fence. Surprisingly there were no guards. Barry didn't really dwell on this however and he ran through the glass doors into the elevator and pushed the 47th floor button over and over.

"C'mon, C'mon." The elevator finally arrived after almost two minutes at the top floor and Barry ran out of it.

He looked up to the sky, "C'mon. Hit me."

And right on cue a gigantic lightning bolt struck Barry. Everywhere around him the air was eaten up and the top floors of the building exploded in a golden energy. A yellow field surrounded Barry. Barry began to vibrate faster and faster until he was…

Gone.

**The Speed Force**

Barry Allen woke with a start. He was surrounded by gold. And blue. And then suddenly pictures of everywhere and nowhere filled his gaze moving at the speed of light.

Barry freaked out and began to vibrate – every molecule in his body moving as fast as sound.

"Where the hell am I?" Barry shouted, and suddenly realizing his body was vibrating he screamed, "What the hell is going on?"

Barry wasn't answered and he sighed, "Am I dead?"

Still no answer. Barry couldn't stand to stay still any longer and he began to run. He felt like he was ADHD but a million times worse. He sped through this never ending Universe of pictures, feelings and…energy!

Barry realized now, his brain thinking a thousand times faster than the average man, that he was standing in the middle of a Universal Plane made entirely out of Energy. His brain began to think faster, registering everything going on around him…

This place gave everything its speed, its power, its energy!

This…Speed Force, Barry realized, was the entirety of the movement and energy of the world. No, all of the worlds.

Barry looked around him, and saw pictures of worlds, similar and yet different than his own.

He saw his ex-boss, Jay Garrick, who was much younger, in one world running around saving people in a red and blue spandex suit with a silver helmet.

He saw a boy, with ginger red hair running almost faster than even he could register, in a yellow and red suit that looked similar to the very suit Barry was wearing.

And then…then he saw himself. He couldn't tell if it was from his future, past, or from a different world entirely. He saw himself, Barry Allen, running super-speed in an armored version of the suit he was wearing. He was fighting green robotic demons...more people fought alongside him. One man, in blue and red armor, with a red S on the chest of the suit. A long red cape hung down the back. Another was a man in a dark, bat-like suit. Another, a woman in red, silver and blue armor. Another a man wielding a trident. Another an armored, cyborg-like African-American boy. And the last was a man wearing a green and black suit, a glowing ring on the middle finger of his right hand.

And suddenly a large, towering figure appeared in front of the group in a flash of light. The man had an 'Omega' on his chest and he wore dark blue armor. Beams of red energy burst from his eyes. The group fought this man; each ended up separating but brought back together in the end. The man with the S ended up knocking the large demonic evildoer into a portal and the group had won…finally having saved the world.

Those seven were super heroes.

And suddenly, Barry found himself standing in his apartment, still wearing the suit.

"Was that all a dream?" And Barry looked outside, towards the Central City Museum. Smoke rose from it, and the top few floors were completely destroyed. Barry could see fire truck speeding towards it. He looked down at his chest; a lightning bolt was etched into the suit, surrounded by a white circle.

"It wasn't a dream…the Speed Force…and me…" And Barry Allen realized what he was going to do with his life…

Lightning Bolts replaced the pupils of Barry's eyes and…

He was gone.

_Barry would continue to fight to protect Central City as The Flash. He even would end up going to Europe and fighting alongside a few other super powered heroes like him to defeat Hitler. After the war he got a new job, but never stopped defending Central City. Despite the obviousness of it, Jay Garrick and the Board of Directors for Flash Inc. refused to believe the always-late Barry Allen was The Flash. The government tried to force The Flash to join them and become a government-sanctioned superhero but they could never catch him._

_Barry went on to fight many supervillains that had amazing powers and he quickly had a large Rogue's Gallery, which included his arch-nemesis, Captain Cold._

_Due to his powers Barry Allen did not age normally. Forty years after he became the Flash, he looked like an extremely healthy guy in his mid thirties. In 1985 he met my aunt, Iris West. They were married in 1986. _

_In 1991 I was born._

_I lived a normal life in Nebraska for years. I'd grown to love the Flash; he was my hero. I'd even started a Flash fan club when I was eight. Little did I know that my uncle was the Flash…_

_When I was thirteen-years-old my parents took me to Central City to go see my aunt and uncle. I'd met them before but I hadn't seen them since I was five when Uncle Barry had gotten me a Flash action figure for my birthday. Naturally, as a teenager, I wasn't exactly excited to go on a family vacation to see well…family._

_I soon got very excited because it so happened that the day we arrived (we took my dad's car) The Flash was battling the not-quite-as-young-looking-as-Flash Captain Cold._

_Captain Cold fired his freeze gun over and over but he could never catch The Scarlet Speedster. With one swift punch the fight was over. I was overjoyed._

_All I could talk about was The Flash the entire time I was there. I never really understood the sly grins my aunt and uncle gave each other at the time._

_The last day I was there, Uncle Barry took me and my parents to see the Flash Museum._

_It had begun being built in 1974 after the Rogues blew up the entire Central City museum. The Central City Museum was rebuilt and dedicated to The Flash, who defeated the Rogues later that day and saved the Mayor. The Museum had just been refurbished and was reopened that exact day._

_Little did I know that that trip to the coolest place on Earth would become a trip to hell._

_Apparently earlier that day, Captain Cold had broken out of prison (again) along with the rest of the elderly Rogues. They all attacked the Museum and held Uncle Barry, my parents and I hostage in order to get The Flash to attack them._

_Well, they certainly got Flash to do just that._

_My Uncle, quicker than anyone but I could see, spun in a circle so that his second ring (other than his wedding ring) glowed and The Flash Suit flew out of it and over him._

_And at once it all became hell. Everything around me was exploding. Boomerang and the other Rogues were all trying to kill Flash._

_Suddenly, I felt my shirt being grabbed, and I looked up. Captain Cold was holding me as a hostage…again._

_The Flash turned to me; fear entered his eyes._

"_No!" My mom screamed as she jumped onto Captain Cold. Captain Cold swung her off of him and shot her in the head with his freeze gun._

"_Mom!" And my Dad followed suit, attacking Cold in anger and he was shot in the head._

"_NNNNOOOOOO!" The Flash sped to my rescue, taking me from Cold's hands. He sped me outside and left me there and told me to be safe._

_I waited for only thirty seconds before he appeared with my mother and father's bodies in his hands. Their faces were still frozen. _

_Flash said with tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry, kid. I…they…they can't be brought back. The Freezing is an instantaneous death. They felt no pain…"_

"_How do you know that? And why, if you are the Faster Man Alive, could you not save my fucking parents? They got to me faster than you did!" I was infuriated. Later, I felt bad for what I said to my Uncle. Oh yeah, I knew it was him after this._

_Well, The Flash, Uncle Barry, took me to his home. Weeks later it was determined I would be staying with him and Iris until I was 18 and then I was free to do as I would like._

_They had my stuff moved there and I was recluse the entire rest of summer vacation. Barry retired as The Flash, having decided he wasn't capable of protecting anyone._

_After Summer Break ended I began my eight-grade year at a local private school. I turned 14 later that year. It took me a while but eventually I got over my parents' death and I forgave Barry. I even began to see Iris and Barry as my new parents. _

_And who would've known…I, nerdy Wally West, became the most popular kid in school. I was the class clown. I was a track star. And I had a smoking hot girlfriend._

_My life was great…_

_Up until summer break when I was 16 when I found the blueprints in the attic for a new Flash costume._

_And what can I say? I get curious…I wanted to see if it would work…if it would be better than the old one…_

_And so I made it…_

_And everything, yet again, went to hell…_

**Note: I hope you enjoyed it and as I said earlier, there are some big changes to The Flash in my Universe. Not much really to explain. This idea came to my mind when I was taking a shower. I hope you enjoyed the New 52 JL moment there! The next issue we'll see Wally become Kid Flash, and later evolving to The Flash. Please review!**

**Barry Allen- He's a good guy who's always late and is currently a forensic scientist. He looks like his normal DC self. His Flash costume is his Pre-DCnU costume.**

**Wally West- He's smart as well as athletic but it seems that hid Uncle has rubbed off on him because he's always late. His Flash/Kid Flash costume is the same and will be described next issue. Or you can check my page for a link to a picture of it.**

**Next- Not Quite The Present**


	2. Not Quite The Present

**Cover- Wally, age 16, standing over the graves of his parents and…Barry Allen, the Flash!**

_The exact date I discovered the blueprints to a next generation Flash suit is lost in the recesses of my mind. Heck, I'm not even sure if I remember the month correctly. All I am sure about is that it was early in the summer before my junior year in high school. I was 16-years-old and Maria, my girlfriend, and I had just begun to get more…serious._

_We, my aunt Iris, uncle Barry, and I, had began cleaning out the house for a garage sale. I was in charge of looking through the attic for anything I wanted to keep. _

_Boy, was that a mistake._

I flipped through what seemed like the thousandth photo album before collapsing to the dusty floor, utterly bored and exhausted.

"This is $%^&ing retarded," I muttered as I rubbed my sore forearms, my legs in criss-cross-apple-sauce position.

I began to think of giving up, going downstairs, and telling my aunt and uncle that I was done, but something caught my eye. In the darkest corner of the attic was a pitch black box, a single piece of white duck tape stuck to the side that was beginning to peel off. But it wasn't the box itself that caught my eye, it was the thing written on the piece of duck tape outside of it.

"Flash…" I read out loud. I began to crawl through the stacks of books and boxes, until I reached the 'Flash' box.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as thousands of thoughts and ideas flooded my brain. I let my hands fall onto the edges of the box as I examined it. There was no lock, nothing to keep me out. Slowly—my hands shaking out of excitement—I lifted the rough surface of the box open to find…

Paper. Hundreds of sheets of paper.

"You have to be kidding me!" I complained.

"Wally, is everything alright up there?" Iris, my 40-something aunt, called from downstairs.

"Yes, Iris, everything's fine," I yelled back, slightly sheepishly.

"Ok, but holler if anything's too heavy to lift, Wally," Iris replied

"Yes, ma'am," I looked down at the stack of papers, ideas of fires and burning paper flashed through my mind. But the title of one of the papers stopped me from doing any damage.

"FLASH SUIT 2.0" I read aloud. I took out the sheet of paper and examined the drawings on it. It was a picture of, as far I could tell, what would have been Barry's new Flash suit if he continued on as the Flash. On it everything was labeled and I began to read through the detailed drawing, "Kevlar padding for attack protection, special lenses for sight when running at light speed, ear pieces for auditory use past the speed of sound, helmet with limited air pouch for breathing in hard vacuum, nanites powered via Speed Force –no idea what that is—boots able to withstand friction caused by…" And I continued to read the descriptions of everything. I surprisingly understood all the scientific terms—except Speed Force—and it all made sense.

_But I had a dozen questions. If it actually would work. What the Speed Force was. How exactly did my uncle get his powers? The list went on and on…_

_And I was going to get answers._

**INFINITE FLASH**

**Not Quite the Present**

Later in the evening on the same day I found the blueprints, the Allens/Wests were sitting together eating dinner in their relatively small dining room.

"Well, the garage sale will be tomorrow. Wally, I hope you can stay home all day to help with it," Barry broke the awkward silence.

"Yeah, I'll be here. I've got no other plans," I spun my spoon in circles through my peas, "And um…Barry…"

Barry looked up at my surprisingly shy tone, "Yes, Wally."

"How exactly did you get your powers?"

Both Iris and Barry looked up from their respective meals in shock. They hadn't talked about Barry's past or powers since 'the accident.'

"Um…I was mixed up in an accident," Barry replied, still surprised by my question.

I sighed and suddenly all shyness and politeness left me, "What sort of accident?"

Barry examined me, and then said, "A chemical accident. Why, Wally?"

"I'm just curious. But I want to know the specifics."

"Listen, Wally, I don't know if Barry wants to talk about-" Iris began, but I interrupted her.

"My parents died because of him, so I deserve to know: how did you get your powers? I want details," I growled.

"Fine," Barry began, "I was working in a lab during a storm one night, when a lightning bolt streaked through a window and struck a cabinet full of chemicals. The electrified chemicals fell on me, and the next thing I knew I had super-speed."

I suddenly stood up from the table, knocking my chair to the ground, "Bull shit!"

"Wally!" Iris scolded.

I turned to my aunt, "Oh c'mon, Iris, you really expect me to believe that!"

"It's the truth!" Barry exclaimed.

I marched out of the room, "This is stupid. How can I respect you guys and tell you guys everything when you won't do the same for me." I rushed upstairs to my room and sulked in bed.

In a matter of seconds I heard my aunt and uncle's hushed voices outside my door. They became silent, and Barry entered my room.

"Listen, Wally," Barry addressed me kindly, "I'm sorry about that and….you're right. You deserve to know about my past. It's just…well…I didn't want you to try and copy what happened to me. It was a fluke and you could die."

I took a deep breath and lied, "Why would I ever do that?"

"I…I don't know," Barry said, "But if you really want to hear my…my origins, I'll tell you."

"I do."

"Well, then. It was late at night when it happened. As I'm sure you know, I created nanites, these little robots that can do anything and everything. And I put these nanites into a suit–for my job, originally. All the science was correct, the only problem was I needed a power source…a big one. Well, one night, after losing my job, I had this crazy idea. You see, it was storming that night, and I thought that maybe a bolt of lightning could power the suit. So I put on the suit and went to the top of what is now the Flash Museum, and wouldn't you know it, I got struck by lightning. But something weird happened when the lightning struck. The nanites…they didn't just turn on, they merged with my body and teleported me to this dimension, this…Speed Force…."

"What's the Speed Force?" I asked, curious.

"The very source of all energy. A dimension constantly propelling itself forward."

"Weird."

"Yeah, well, the next thing I knew I was back in my room. The nanites in my body were powered by the Speed Force and I decided to become a hero, to become the Flash," Barry finished his story and stood up, "Well, that's it. I hope you believe that because it's the truth."

"I do, Barry," I replied solemnly.

"So…Wally, I think I deserve to know…why'd you want to know? Really?" Barry asked me, and I felt compelled to tell him the truth. So I did.

I stood up from my bed and walked to a cabinet in my room. I opened it and pulled out a piece of paper.

"This," I held up the designs for the 'Flash 2.0' suit.

Suddenly, anger flooded Barry's kind eyes, as he realized he'd been lied to and betrayed, "Wally, you did plan on replicating the accident! You want to have powers!" Barry grabbed the paper out of my hands and ripped it in two.

"Barry!"

"No, Wally, no! This isn't fun and games, and you're not risking your life to copy something that was a complete fluke!" Barry shouted angrily.

And now it was my turn to get angry, "Damn it, Barry! It's been over three years! I forgive you and it's time for the Flash to come back! And if you won't do it then I will!"

"Why, Wally, why? The city's in peace! The crime rate is lower than ever! The Rogues are retired! They only existed because the Flash did!" Barry shouted back.

"Maybe you're right, Barry, but the world certainly isn't at peace. The Middle East…hell, everywhere there's war! The world needs the Flash now more than ever!"

"The Flash wasn't and never will be a soldier!" Barry took a deep breath, "And you're not going to have powers either. End of discussion. You're grounded."

I knew arguing with Barry wouldn't get me anywhere so I gave up and collapsed in my bed. I waited until Barry left my room, before standing back up and walking over to my desk.

I opened the drawer in the desk and pulled out a piece of paper, this one smaller than the original. I had copied the designs onto another sheet of paper in case anything like this happened.

I quickly scanned the design for a list of items and then stuffed it back in the drawer. I then snuck out of my room and towards my aunt and uncle's bedroom. I put my ear to the door, making sure they weren't in the room. They weren't. I slid the door open and began to go through my uncle's closet. It took me a few seconds to find what I was looking for.

I then quickly cleaned up any mess I made and snuck back out of their room.

I waited in my room for my aunt and uncle to fall asleep, before taking everything I needed and leaving the house. On my way out I grabbed the keys to my uncle's run-down car. I started it and drove away.

_It took me a couple of hours and a few hundred dollars off my uncle's credit card, but I got everything I needed for the suit. And throughout the night I built the suit in an abandoned warehouse my friends and I used to hang out in. At about 4 in the morning the it was done. I'd applied the last thing the suit needed, the very thing I had stolen from my uncle's closet, nanites._

_And wouldn't you know it, a storm had blown in._

I hurried to the Flash museum, dressed in the suit. The suit was made up of red and white Kevlar padding, an armored 'Flash' symbol on the chest. There was a helmet made of the same red armored material, with yellow lenses and two white earpieces, headphones/communication device built into each of them. Two small yellow antennas shaped like lightning bolts were attached to the earpieces. (Go to my page and look for the link for a picture.)

Surprisingly there were no guards outside or inside the building. There were only a few security cameras that were randomly placed throughout the building. No alarms went off when I entered and I entered an elevator and went to the 56th floor. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Fate was at work. And who knows? Maybe it was.

I stood outside in the rain, lightning streaking through the sky…waiting…waiting…

**XXXX**

"Aah!" Barry woke up with a start. He'd just had a nightmare that…

"Barry, hon, what is it?" Iris mumbled, half-awake.

"Nothing…I…I'm going to go check on Wally and apologize…for…for earlier." And Barry stood up and walked silently over to Wally's door. He knocked on it and began, "Hey, Wally, I'm sorry for earlier. You…you're…" Barry slowly opened the door to Wally's room to find no one there, "…Gone. Oh God, no, it was only a dream…he can't…he won't…"

Barry super-sped downstairs and surely enough the car was gone. And in a flash he was outside, dressed in his 'real' work clothes.

He ran…faster and faster…until he reached the Flash Museum. And right as he reached the door the sky flashed and the building exploded.

**The Speed Force**

I blinked, felt the oddest falling sensation, and when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by gold. And blue. And then hundreds of thousands of images swirled around me.

"Is this the Speed Force?" I questioned, and looked around me. Suddenly, a bit of crimson caught my eye. Standing, at the most fifty yards away from me, was a man dressed in a red suit. His face looked familiar, almost like the face of…

"Barry!" I cried, and ran over to the person. But when I was only a dozen yards away, Barry disappeared into nowhere.

"What?" I stood in the very same place my uncle once stood, "Where did he go?"

I looked forward, or what I assumed was forward, you never could tell here, at an image. It was floating in front of me and depicted a man in blue armor with a swirling red cape flying, fist first, into a monster of a man. The monster-man's skin was like cracked stone, and he wore blue armor, an Omega symbol on his chest.

And suddenly the scene shifted to what seemed like the future. The man with the red cape stood side by side with six other heroes, being awarded medals in front of a large crowd by the President. And one of those heroes was Barry. Wally could tell from his shining blue eyes that sparkled with intelligence.

And suddenly I was hit by grief and guilt. I'd lied to a man who only wanted to help me, to protect me.

"I'm sorry, Barry," I whispered and when I looked up I was standing in front of the rubble that once was the Flash Museum, in front of Barry.

"Oh my God, Wally! Are you alright? I had a dream…I was worried that…" Barry began, but I shut him up by giving him a bear hug.

"I'm so, so sorry, Barry." I said, my voice weak.

"No, I'm sorry, Wally," Barry hugged me back, and we stood there for a second before sirens interrupted the family moment.

"What is that…?" I questioned, but Barry interrupted me by holding up his left hand in a 'stop' position and his right towards his head, clearly listening to something.

After a few seconds he let his hands fall to his sides and turned to me, "Listening into the police radio. Turns out one of my old Rogues, Captain Boomerang, is breaking into the Central City Bank with a group of thugs. You go home. I've got work to do," Barry gave me a sly smile and then was off.

"No…wait! You need help!" I shouted after him.

Barry ran super-speed to the bank and found a whole hostage situation. He stopped behind Captain Boomerang, who had his back turned to him, shouting orders at the hostages and the bank employees.

Barry simply tapped the man's shoulder.

"Who the he- " As Captain Boomerang turned around he got a face full of fist, courtesy of the Flash.

And suddenly, the Flash was off again, taking out each of the armed henchmen. In just under thirty seconds, all the criminals were laying on the ground.

Barry grinned at the awed people around him, all of them whispering about the newly returned Flash.

"Hey, hey, everyone calm down. Please quietly and calmly exit the building and return to your everyday lives," Barry motioned towards the door. Barry turned around to lead everyone out and to talk to the police when a rough voice caught his attention.

"I win, Flash," Captain Boomerang growled, holding up a gun.

And fear flooded Barry's system, stopping him from moving. But suddenly a red blur sped through the room, knocking the gun out of Boomerang's hand…and that red blur was…

Me!

"Wal…er…Kid Flash?" Barry said, clearly in shock.

"I think 'thank you' is a better response, but whatevs," I replied cockily, "And 'Kid Flash'… I like it!"

_Flash's return took the front page of the newspaper the next day, "Flash Returns…With A Sidekick?" My uncle agreed to return to the super-heroic business and let me be his protégé. He said, "I can't let a teenager run around with superpowers unchecked and untrained." Whatever would get him to let me be a super-hero, right?_

_Well, it took only a couple of days before the Rogues came back. It only took us a few minutes to return them all to jail. We did our jobs and we did them well. I was learning the ropes._

_But what seemed like heaven quickly turned into hell just two months after we began fighting crime..._

It was an ordinary day for the Flash and his sidekick, me, Kid Flash. We had already stopped a mugging in Keystone, and we kept a man from committing suicide in Central City. I was just a few days away from returning to school for my junior year, but that wasn't going to keep me away from my super-heroics.

At about two in the afternoon I was sitting on a bench in a park, reading. Nerdy, right? And I'm supposed to be popular! I am, by the way. Anyways, like I said, it was an ordinary day.

My phone vibrated, and immediately I went to check it, thinking it was Maria, my girlfriend. Instead, I found it was a police alert. Captain Cold had broken out of Iron Heights Penitentiary and his whereabouts were currently unknown.

Being the cocky prick I was…am, I thought I could deal with it alone. I decided I would give Barry the rest of the day off, and not tell him about Captain Cold. So, at Mach 5 I changed into my costume and began to explore every nick and cranny in Central City.

After finishing that, and not finding the elderly ice-powered villain anywhere, I began to search Keystone City. I found nothing there either.

"What the hell?" I muttered as I finished exploring the last place, an abandoned warehouse, "Where is he?"

I began to think of everywhere I had checked, everywhere I had been…I'd looked everywhere! Everywhere…but…where I would least expect him! Iron Height Penitentiary! He's hiding right under everyone's nose, I thought.

"God, I'm an idiot!" I ran off super fast towards Iron Heights. After arriving I found the warden and asked, "Yodudeisthereanysecretunderg roundtunnelsoranything?"

"What the hell!" The warden shouted as he practically fell out of his chair, in the middle of doing paper work, "Oh my God, it's just you Kid Flash…I…don't do that again, please. You…what did you say?"

"Sorry. Is there any secret underground tunnels or other things like that?" KF asked.

"Uh," The warden-whose-name-I've-forgotten began, "Not that I know of…"

I gave him a sort of inquisitive look through my helmet.

"Well, there is rumors of a secret underground tunnel system that the supervillains made to break out. It's believed that that's how they break out so much," The warden stated matter-of-factly.

"And you guys haven't destroyed that thing by now?" I replied incredulously.

"It is **secret** you know…" The Warden replied.

"You have to be kidding me…" I face-palmed, "Listen, I'm going to go find this **super secret** tunnel that you guys didn't tell either the Flash or I about til now, so see ya." I super sped away and began to search the entire jail. The criminals never noticed me as I ran at a speed faster than their eyes could register.

"C'mon!" I shouted as I explored the last floor of the penitentiary. After finishing looking through the floor I leaned against a wall near multiple empty cells.

"What would Barry do…? How would he find it…?" I thought out loud. And suddenly the wall behind me opened up and I fell back onto my butt.

"What the hell?" I looked up to find Captain Cold standing over me.

"Nighty night, Kid Flash," Cold grinned evilly and he stamped his foot on my head, knocking me out….

**At Barry**

Barry was resting in bed while reading a book when Iris entered the room.

"You haven't seen Wally, have you?" Iris asked.

Barry looked up from his book and smiled, "No, dear, but I'm sure he's fine. He's all grown up now and he can take care of himself."

Iris sat down on the bed at Barry's feet, "You haven't heard the news, then?"

"What?"

"Captain Cold broke out of Iron Heights earlier today," Iris said and Barry knew full well what she was implying.

"You don't think Wally would…" Barry began, but he already knew the answer, "I've got to go."

Iris nodded, "Yeah, Barry. Please…" Barry was out of the room in a Flash.

"…Don't let Wally get hurt."

**At Wally**

I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up I could briefly see stars in the sky through a window above me.

About that time was when I noticed I wasn't in my suit. And then I noticed I was tied to a chair.

"What the hell-?" I tried to vibrate through the ropes but nothing happened.

"It won't work…" I looked up to see Captain Cold strolling towards me, hood down to expose his balding head.

"What won't work?" I demanded.

"That. Your powers. I've dampened them, completely taken them away," Cold smirked, "Temporarily, of course."

"What? Since when can you do that?"

"Since I truly mastered the technology I've been using, my Cold Gun. You see, originally it was designed to slow down the Flash. When I took it, I found that it simply created ice wherever it's beam touched. This was fine, but not good enough. Nearly fifty years later I have perfected the technology and created the ultimate weapon against the Flash!" Cold laughed evilly.

I nodded my head, understanding what he was planning, "You're going to use me as bait to get the Flash. Then you're going to use that gun on him. After that you'll,"

"Kill him," Cold finished, "Indeed. You're a bright young boy. You remind me of my own son…"

I shook my head in defiance, "It won't work, Flash'll find me, save me and stop you."

"Really? Let's test that theory," Cold held up his hand, exposing a device in it…my cellphone!

He scrolled through what I assumed was my contacts and clicked one, "Hello, Flash, this is Cold. I have your nephew in the old factory over the lake. Good bye."

"How do you know who we are? Who the Flash is?"

"I'm not stupid. I've known who the Flash was under the mask for years. I just don't care."

"You…"

"Oh, and speak of the devil," Cold hurried over to me, and stood still as a gust of air flowed through the building and Flash suddenly appeared at the entrance.

"Cold, let him go. Now."

"No," Cold simply replied, "And I wouldn't try to free him if I were you. You so much as wink and I press this button," Cold pulled out a small metal device and motioned towards a bright button on it, "And your nephew goes bye-bye!"

That's when I noticed something attached to my wrist, something I hadn't noticed before, a small metal wristband. And it had started to glow!

"Cold, he's just a kid! You wouldn't kill a kid, would you?" Flash pleaded.

Cold shook his head, "He stopped being a child as soon as he joined this little game of ours."

"Cold, please."

"No, Flash. No more pleases, no more mercy. You die tonight," Cold lifted his cold gun up with his other hand and aimed it at the Flash, "Goodbye, Flash."

But in a blink of an eye, Flash's cold gun was hit to the floor with its user, and I was untied, the metal wrist-bomb gone.

"Are you alright, Wally?" Flash looked me up and down, and moved my face side-to-side with his hand, checking for any injuries.

"I'm fine. Just a couple'a cuts and bruises is all," I smiled and shrugged him off.

"Good," Flash turned to Cold, who was lying on the ground crying, "You're done, Cold. You've lost again."

Just then I noticed he wasn't crying but…laughing, "Hahahahaha! Flash, you're wrong! So wrong! It isn't me who's lost, it's you!" Cold lifted is shirt up, exposing a timer.

"I have a bomb in my chest. It explodes in thirty seconds and will take out three city blocks! You try to disarm it or get it out of me; it explodes! You take me away, you can't stop because once the bomb is in motion it stays in motion, or else BOOM! Game over, Flash, I've won! Hahahaha!"

Flash was frozen in shock, "You wouldn't do such a thing, Cold! So many women and children will die because of that bomb!"

"You're right, I never would do this…unless I knew you'd take it and me away."

Flash, processing the situation at super-speed, came to a conclusion, "Wally, listen…"

"No, stop it!" I shouted, knowing full well what he was about to say, "You can't do it!"

"Wally, stop," Flash quickly looked at the timer, twenty seconds left, "Wally, tell Iris. Tell her I love her. And…and…know this…"

"Barry, please…" I pleaded. Fourteen seconds.

"Wally…you're a great hero…a great Flash and…"

Flash picked Cold up and sped out of the room,

"Iloveyou."

I stood there, crying, counting down…

"Ten."

Barry sped over the streets of Central City, holding Cold.

"Nine."

Barry edges towards the border of Kansas, picking up speed.

"Eight."

Barry exits Kansas and begins heading through Nebraska.

"Seven."

Barry finished through North Dakota, breaking super-sonic speed.

"Six."

Barry enters Canada.

"Five."

Barry speeds by Quebec, getting faster.

"Four."

Barry enters the Arctic Circle moving faster than the eye can register.

"Three."

Barry continues running, Cold still in his hands, long dead from a heart attack that occurred sometime in Canada. The gallant hero knows he cannot stop running, as the bomb ticks away.

"Two."

A single tear races down Barry's cheek as he looks down at the icy waves below.

"One."

_BOOM!_

**Sometime Later**

I was late to my uncle's funeral.

People joked about it, said I was just like my uncle. I am not.

My uncle was brave, selfless and an infinitely smarter and better person than me. His last words, "you're a great hero," they were a lie. I'm not a hero. I'm nothing.

I caused his death. I am to blame.

Iris always denies this. She says he would too. I don't care; I know the truth.

Many people came to his funeral. I didn't realize how much my uncle was loved. It made me feel worse.

There was a separate, public funeral for the Flash a month later. Iris pulled strings and managed to separate the apparent times of both of their deaths.

But it didn't really matter. Nobody would be able to desecrate my uncle's body. There was nothing to desecrate.

After I got my powers back I ran all over the world. I didn't find anything but the remnants of a picture of him, Iris and I in the Arctic Circle.

I gave a speech at the funeral. The private one. It was short, brief. Iris cried.

His will was read. He gave money to the Flash Museum, to Iris, me and to the college he went to. He naturally gave all the businessy stuff and his wedding ring to Iris. He left a few small things for friends. And for me, personally, he left his entire collection of Flash figures, posters and newspaper clippings. He gave me the book about the Flash that he secretly wrote. He gave me every spare uniform he had. And he gave me two notes. The first dated to the day of my parents' death. The second on the date I first defeated a supervillain with him.

The first read:

_Dear Wally,_

_I can only imagine how much you hate me. Nothing I will ever do will be able to compensate for what I have done. All I can say is that I'm sorry. And I want you to know that the world is a good place. Bad things happened to your parents. I'm a bad person and I failed to save them. But the world isn't evil. Remember, Wally, even if you lose faith in me, never lose faith in people or the world._

_Love,_

_Barry_

I cried. For hours. The irony of it all…he…

The second read:

_Dear Wally,_

_If you are reading this letter then it means that I am dead. I hope that in my death I have succeeded, that for once I haven't failed you. I want you to know these adventures we've had have been amazing! You are a wonderful, caring, brave, compassionate person, Wally. You are a true hero. That's why I'm passing the Flash legacy onto you. The world needs a real hero, a better hero. That's you. Remember, you can do anything. Including deciding against taking up the mantle of the Flash. Just know this Wally: I believe in you. I believe you'll do great things, in or out of tights. But most of all Wally, know this. I love you with all my heart. You aren't like a son to me; you are my son. And I know that I am up with your parents, cheering you on! _

_Love, now and forever,_

_Barry_

I lay in my bed, crying for all I've lost. And soon I'll prepare for the future. But one without sorrow and one without Flash.

**Epilogue**

I was there at my father's funeral. As was my sister.

The Rogues all laughed and talked about how much I look like my father. How much I am like my father. None of it is true.

I am nothing like my father. My father was brave and smart; he had morals. He was an amazing man and Rogue.

I have done nothing in my life but succeed in being a petty thief. One who kills innocent women and children. My father disowned. Maybe if I hadn't been a failure, I could've been there. Maybe I could've saved him.

I didn't save him. I should've.

My sister always claims there was nothing I could have done. That father was a cold man. That it wasn't my fault he disowned me. I don't listen to her; it's not the truth.

All of the Rogues were at his funeral. I didn't know how respected he was. It truly made me realize how great of a man we had lost.

There was nothing of my father to bury. All, anyone could find was his cold gun in an abandoned warehouse in Central City.

His will was read. He had no money. All he had was a few spare uniforms, keys to an apartment, and a cold gun. He gave those to my sister and I. He also left me a note. It was dated the day before he died.

It read:

_Dear Lenny,_

_I made a mistake. I miss you. If you are reading this it means I am dead and there is no chance of me ever getting to make up for my mistake. I wish I never let you go. You were a bright kid, a great kid. I give you permission if you wish to take up the Captain Cold title. All I ask is that you protect and defend your sister. Do it for me. And know this: I love you. More than anything. You are my rightful heir. You deserve more than I have. But alas, I have nothing. And I know you, don't blame yourself for my death. Don't. It's not your fault. And if it will give you any solace, know that I am up in heaven with your mother, happy._

_Love,_

_Leonard Sr., Your Father_

I cried for hours. By the end of that time, however, I had begun to look to the future. I had realized my father's death wasn't my fault. It was Flash's. And my future was going to be one without the Flash, legacy and all.

**Note: I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Next chapter things get really interesting! Also check out the other Infinite Universe stories!**

**Next: Three years later, Flash is no more! Wally is just heading off to college and attempting to live a normal life when a Rogue arises. Now he must make the decision whether to become the Flash or not! And whatever he does, what are the consequences of his actions?**

**Title: Present**


	3. Present

**Note: Alrighty, guys, I'm back with another chapter in your favorite Flash fic! And let me just tell you, this is where it starts to get really exciting. You can think of this as the real "Issue 1."**

**Cover- The Flash (Wally) running in front of a golden lightning bolt and a red background.**

**INFINITE FLASH**

**Present**

Wally West let in a breath of fresh air and took in his surroundings. This was it. This was college.

The large, amber-colored buildings, the students milling all about preparing for the start of a new school year. This was what he had been waiting for. He was finally here. Four years of high school all led up to this…this greatness.

Well, his day hadn't really started out that great. After moving in to his room—roommate nowhere in sight—and a few fair well hugs and kisses with his aunt, Wally had decided to go out and socialize. And where better to socialize than a local bar, right?

So, with fake I.D. in hand, Wally headed out. And, as Wally soon realized, he'd made a mistake. 11 AM on a Saturday morning was no time to go to a bar, especially if you expect to meet college students. The only people in the bar were the serious alcoholics—those men and women who had drunk a little too much the previous night and had fallen asleep at the bar—and the bartender.

And so it was with an embarrassed smile on his face that Wally had left as soon as he'd come, and returned to the college…his college: Keystone University.

It was the perfect school. It was far enough away from Iris that Wally wouldn't have to endure the every-weekend visits like if he'd gone to CU (Central University), but it was still in-state and made it easy to return for the holidays. It also had a strong science program, something Wally was keen about. But, best of all, it had been awarded the 'Hottest Girls' award by the American Fraternity Press. And, Wally liked to think of himself as a bit of a ladies' man.

"Woowee," Wally whistled as three incredibly beautiful girls walked by. All three flirtively glanced his way.

_C'mon, West,_ Wally mentally pushed himself, _You don't have a girlfriend anymore. You're free. You're open. You can do this. You were huge in high school. You're smart, athletic, attractive; any girl would love to date you. _

_But then why am I so nervous?_

Wally approached the girls and put on his most confident smile, "Hello, ladies."

The girls all looked at each other. The blonde in the middle giggled and the three kept walking.

"I…uh…"

It couldn't be…That giggle. Wally knew that giggle. The popular girls back in high school had always giggled that way around, Wally hated to say it, nerds. But they'd never laughed like that around him, at least not directed towards him. I mean, Wally was hot, right?

Wally had always felt bad for the kids who were being laughed at, but he'd always felt there was nothing he could do to help. But as Wally stood there now he realized he'd made a huge mistake. All he wanted now was for someone to come talk to him, to support him. He could've helped those kids back in high school in the same way he wanted help now. He'd…he'd…

And then the shock really hit Wally. He'd been rejected.

_What the hell is this?_

College wasn't at all like what people described, at least so far. And…and…

Wally realized too late that he'd been standing in the middle of the sidewalk, mouth agape, for more than five minutes. When he looked up, a couple by a tree were chuckling, every other second glancing up at him.

Wally needed to get out of here. He needed to get back to his room. Maybe there he could clear his head and think straight. Maybe there he could begin to wrap his head around college. Why was he acting so strange? Why were girls here impervious to his charm?

Wally hurriedly walked back to his dorm. Up two flights of stairs and down a hallway to a room labeled 217 Wally went. As Wally opened the door to his room, he silently hoped his roommate would still be gone. He needed some alone time.

No such luck.

A young man, clearly in his late-teens, early-twenties, was sitting at a desk typing into a computer. The young man had skin the color of summer-worn dirt and a round face, and to Wally, he looked Native American. He was dressed in a black sweatshirt and washed-blue jeans.

Wally shut the door and attempted to change his expression from that of a beaten horse to a more open, bright smile, "Um…hi."

"Shh!" The young man held up his hand, signaling for Wally's silence.

"Uh…"

"SHH!" The young man scowled.

Wally sat down, silent, onto what he had chosen as his bed. His bags were strewn all around in disorganized piles. One bag, or rather locker, in particular stood out to Wally…

"Alright," the young man swiveled around in his chair, "The name's Max Missichkonne. Call me Max Mercury. Everyone does."

Max took a deep breath and continued, "Let's get everything straight: I don't like people. I never have, never will. I don't like you. You don't, and most likely will not, like me. So, let's set up a few rules. We split the room in half, " Max pointed down the middle of the room, as if drawing an invisible line, "Your stuff and you stays on your side, my stuff and me stays on my side. We never bother each other, never say a word and pretend as if we just got stuck with a really shitty half-room. Got it?"

Wally wasn't like this situation already, but still he nodded his head.

"Good." Now Max just sat back and looked at Wally.

The two sat there for a while in silence. Max glared at him the entire time.

"Ok, this has got to stop. What are you doing?" Wally asked.

"Waiting for you," Max replied, shifting position in his chair.

"Waiting on me…oh…" Wally finally realized what he wanted, "My name's Wally West."

Max nodded his head, "Nice to meet you, West. Good to never know you again."

And with that, Max turned back around and got back to doing whatever he was doing on his laptop, this time with black, Skullcandy headphones on.

This was college. The girls ignored him, his roommate hated him. Next thing Wally knew, his teachers would despise him and he'd fail every class.

_Well, this sucks._

Wally stood up, moved all of his stuff to 'his side' and began to unpack. As he did so, the same chest from earlier caught his eye. Wally tried to ignore it. He knew why it was there. He hadn't brought it but he knew who did.

Wally stood there for a while, unpacking his clothes and organizing his textbooks. Until something really caught his eye, until his day got so much worse.

"What is that?" Wally asked Max, pointing to his computer screen. Max didn't reply.

"What is that?" Wally spoke louder this time, slowly approaching the computer.

Wally put a hand on Max's shoulder. The young man jerked around and pulled off his headphones, "What the hell is it?"

"What. Is. That?" Wally pointed to the screen.

Max glanced at the screen and then back at Wally, "That is News."

"What the hell is going on?" Wally asked; fear, anger, dozens of emotions overtaking his body.

Max sighed, "Just some stupid bank robbery. Apparently Captain Cold—you know Captain Cold, right?—is back. He's attacked Keystone Bank, demanding Flash come and stop him. Everyone knows Flash is dead though, right? I mean, I guess everyone thought he was dead too, so what do we know?"

"Oh my God…" Wally fell back on to his bed. He looked down at the chest laying in between his feet. He…he was back. Cold was back. But he had to be dead. He had to.

"…West?"

Cold couldn't be alive. The bomb was strapped to his chest. But, nobody ever found anything, any remains. Did that mean Barry was alive? No, he couldn't be. Then why was Cold asking for Flash? What was going on?

"West?"

Wally couldn't go out, could he? No, it would be disrespectful to his uncle. But the chest…Iris had brought it, Wally was sure. She'd brought it for something like this. But he couldn't go! Cold was back…no, no. Superman would come and stop him, right? Or some other superhero! There were, like, a dozen others. He didn't have to go he didn't have to go he didn't have to go Cold was back he didn't have to go Cold was back he didn't have to go he didn't have to be Flash.

"WEST?!"

Wally was shaken out of his dream-state by Max's voice.

"Wh-what?" Wally mumbled.

"You…you're, like, vibrating…" Max stated, his jaw dropped.

"I'm vibrating…" Wally looked down at himself and…he was shaking uncontrollably. His powers were going haywire! Wally took deep breaths, stopping himself, steadying himself. Thank God, if Wally had gone on any longer, he might have fallen straight through his bed and the floor below.

Wally looked up at Max, who was still clearly shocked, "I'm fine. Just, uh, a little sick. Got a _cold_."

"You sure you weren't having a seizure, 'cause if you were, we need to get you to the hospital. I can't have you dying on me or anything 'cause that would so totally look bad on a job application," Max muttered.

"I'm fine, seriously," Wally sat up straight, attempting to look confident and well, "What's going on at the bank?"

It took Max a few seconds to take himself away from what just happened. When he did, he replied, "Um…nothing much. Just what I told you. I mean, there is more. Cold's killed five people: four men, one woman."

"What?" Wally exclaimed, shooting straight up.

"Yeah, he just, like, froze their heads off or something," Max said.

"But, Cold doesn't kill usually, unless he really, really has to. And then he only kills men. Never women. Never children," Wally stated breathlessly.

Max shook his head, "Apparently not anymore."

Wally stood in silence for a few seconds. Then, without a word, he knelt down to the chest and quickly entered the five-digit code on the lock. With a click the chest unlocked and the top swung open. Wally looked inside. It was there. With a swift swipe It was gone. Wally closed the chest and relocked it.

"What're you doing? Why'd you get that ring out?" Max wondered, swiveling around in his chair.

"I…I have to go somewhere. I feel like I'm gonna puke," Wally hurried out of the room, all the while slipping the golden ring onto his hand, a etched lightning bolt glistening in the light.

Max stared back out the doorway.

"…weird kid."

Wally ran downstairs, human speed, and out of the dorm. He hurried away until he found an alley in between two lab buildings. No one was in sight.

"Alright, Wally, all you have to do is…" Wally began to spin around, faster and faster, till he was just a red tornado exploding inside the alley.

"…spin!" Wally stopped, striking a pose while doing so. However, he was no longer dressed in a simply sweatshirt and shorts. No, now he wore shining red armor and a mask that transformed him from ordinary Wally West into…

The extraordinary Flash!

And without a thought, Wally was off, speeding faster than the eye could see past all the citizens and students of Keystone City.

_I forgot how great this feels being in the costume. I forgot how great it feels running, full-speed, to where nobody, nothing can stop you…_

"OOMPH!"

Wally's chest erupted in pain as he fell to the ground. He'd been attacked by a dastardly…

Pole?

"Oh my God…I just…" Wally stood up. People all around were chuckling, giggling just like the girl from earlier. Some teenage boy was videotaping him on his phone.

"I…I…" Wally ran off without another word. He needed to stop daydreaming and pay attention to where he was running. He could really hurt himself doing things like that. He could hurt someone else. Worst of all, he could embarrass himself even worse than that! What if his mask had broken? What if he gave away his I.D.

"Way to go, 'Flash!'"

**Meanwhile…**

"WHERE IS THE FLASH?" Captain Cold screamed.

"CAPTAIN COLD!" The police captain, Fred Chyre's, voice rang through a speaker, "ALLOW THE HOSTAGES TO GO OR MY MEN ARE GOING TO GO IN THERE AND TAKE YOU OUT! ALLOW THE HOSTAGES TO GO AND YOU WILL ONLY BE TRIALED FOR ATTEMPTED ROBBERY!"

"You really gonna do that, Cap?" Officer Jared Morillo asked.

"If we have to. We can't risk him killing anymore people and if we go in there, he surely will," Chyre replied, "I just wish I knew what the hell was going on. This can't be the real Captain Cold; he's dead. But it's a damn good impersonator. The guy's even got frickin' ice powers!"

"I know, Cap," Morillo said, "Whoever this crazy is…he's dangerous!"

Inside Cold was cursing, "Damnit! I told them my name is Cold, not 'Captain' Cold! Captain Cold was my father!"

Cold took out his anger on one of his hostages, proving his name as he mercilessly killed the poor man. The other civilians cowered on the ground, afraid they were next.

Indeed, this was not Captain Cold. He didn't play by the same rules. He didn't even where the same clothes! Although their costumes were similar, Cold wore different clothing. A white hooded sleeveless jacket with blue designs and a shirt of similar colors covered his chest. He wore navy blue pants and snow white boots. The final addition to his costume was the same style mask his father wore: icicle blue goggles.

"Where is the Flash…?" Cold wondered yet again.

Outside, his question was answered. Wally sped to a stop by the good captain and his fellow police officer.

"Heyo!" Wally greeted, a surprisingly light expression on his face.

"Oh! Flash!" Captain Chyre practically jumped out of his jacket, "You…you're dead!"

"Captain…that ain't the Flash. Look at the costume. That's Kid Flash," Officer Montillo pointed out.

"That…that's right," Wally admitted, "But I am the Flash _now_…I think."

Captain Chyre nodded his head, "Well, whoever you are, I'm glad you're here. We need your help."

"That's why I'm here!" Wally cheerfully interjected, "So, what's going on?"

"Captain Cold's got hostages in there. As far as we know, he's killed five of 'em. He's been demanding to see you. I reckon he wants to talk about…y'know…" Chyre said.

"Yeah," Wally nodded his head, "I got this. You guys relax, drink coffee, and eat donuts. I'll be back…"

"…_In a flash!_"

Wally sped inside and was appalled at what he found. Six bodies lay on the ground in front of Cold, their heads frozen completely, shocked, fearful expression painted on their face. Just like…

"Flash!" Cold triumphantly cried, holding out his arms as if in celebration, "You've finally come!"

Wally shook himself out of the shock and looked up at Cold, "Alright, who are you? And if you're really Captain Cold, how are you alive?"

Cold stood silent for a second, before bursting out laughing, "HAHAHA! You…you really think I'm Captain Cold! You're that stupid? I mean, I don't even have the gun, or the wrinkles! Hahaha!"

"Well then, who are you really?"

Cold suddenly stopped laughing, his demeanor now serious, "Me…? I'm a son looking for revenge. I'm Cold."

Wally couldn't help but grin at that, "Cold? Where'd you get that name from, I wonder?"

"Shut up," Cold growled. Ice began to slowly flow up his forearms.

Wally still kept the smile, but continued on, "So, you're what, the Captain's son? Looking for revenge? You know he killed the Flash…the original Flash."

Cold shook his head, "He didn't kill the Flash; he killed a man. The Flash is more than just one man; you are proof of that. _I am going to kill the Flash by killing you. I am going to end his legacy._"

"'End his legacy…'" Wally began, "You're crazy, you know that?"

Wally sped up to Cold and aimed a punch right at his right cheek.

But his hand was intercepted! Cold firmly held his fist in his grasp, as ice slowly traced up Wally's hand.

"And why is that?" Cold grinned maliciously. He slugged Wally in the stomach and kicked him to the ground. As Wally fell, Cold put his foot over the hero's throat.

Wally looked defiantly up at Cold, "Because Flash…Flash is more than just me or the previous. He's a symbol. A symbol that you…that you can't…you shouldn't run from your fears forever. And that when you stop, when they catch you, you just have to look them in the eyes and…"

Wally grabbed Cold's leg and flipped him over. Wally rolled on top of him and landed a punch on his right cheek.

"…And slug your fears right on the cheek. You tell them your done running, because you don't have to. You don't have to run away. You can stand strong and overcome your fears. Flash is a symbol that you don't have to run away from the world and that you can overcome it. You can grow from your experiences, your missteps. You can come out a little stronger."

Cold grinned but Wally could see tears fall down his cheeks, "Enough with this useless shit! This is for my dad! This is for him! Flash has to die!"

Cold blasted Wally off of him with a burst of ice. Wally flipped back immediately off of the ground and confronted the villain. He now knew…understood everything. His uncle's legacy as the Flash…it wasn't a gift It wasn't an attempt to make Wally understand what happened wasn't his fault. Barry truly wanted him to be the Flash. He _needed_ him to be the Flash. The Cities…the world needed Wally to be the Flash.

Flash let a smirk grow upon his lips, "So, Coldie, let's get at it."

Flash rushed up to the villain, and attempted to kick him. The villain blocked it and launched icicles at him. Flash dodged them matrix-style, but he felt himself slowing down. Something was wrong.

"Is it cold in here or is that just you?" Wally joked, slugging Cold.

"Aargh! You won't be able to go on forever, Flash! My metahuman powers allow me to slow down the movement of molecules, even yours!" Cold sent a blast of ice towards Flash. Flash managed to dodge it, but barely this time.

"Well, that certainly makes sense." Flash agreed, "I was worried I'd skipped my five hour energy this morning."

The Flash attempted to punch Cold, who blocked it and used Flash's momentum to flip Flash. The speedster recovered midair and kicked off Cold and back onto the ground where he tried to hit Cold again. This time he landed the punch. Cold counter attacked by hitting Flash right back, who then responded by kicking Cold in the stomach.

Neither metahuman was backing down.

"That the best you got?" Flash heaved.

"Not even close," Cold breathed in heavily.

The two ran at each other and collided. They both fell to the ground.

And still they both pushed themselves off the ground. Cold launched and ice barrage at Flash. Flash dodged most but one impaled his shoulder.

"Seriously, popsicles?" Flash huffed. Flash sped up to Cold and punched him straight in the nose. The villain stood his ground.

Both superhero and supervillain defiantly faced each other. Both were bleeding. Both were breathing heavily. Both couldn't take much more.

"Just go down," Flash said.

"You first," Cold growled.

The two moved simultaneously. Their fists both slid across each other's cheeks. Both stood still, silent, refusing to lose.

Cold fell to the ground. He was unconscious.

"I can't believe it…I actually won…" Flash grinned. The hostages cheered.

"This…this might just work out."

Flash and the ex-hostages were greeted by police officers, relatives and reporters. Flash was mobbed.

"Are you really the Flash?"

"Did you actually die?"

"What happened in there?"

"Please, please," Flash struggled to stand up, let alone quiet the reporters. Still, they grew silent.

"The Flash did die two years ago," Wally began, "He was my uncle. And with his final word, as his legacy, he left me the role of the Flash."

"_I am the Flash."_

**Note: End of the first arc! I hoe you enjoyed it! I was really proud of this chapter! REVIEW! Seriously, it's the only thanks I get for working hours on this. Oh, also, in case I've never said this, Wally's Flash costume is based off the DCnU one. Cold's is as well.**

**Next: Wally goes to class, officially beginning his freshman year in college! But he's interrupted by a new dastardly villain, a young man going by the alias: Mirror Master! Who is Mirror Master and what's his ploy? And what does he want with the beautiful Linda Park?**

**Cover- Flash looking in the mirror. Mirror Master in the reflection sneaking behind him.**

**Title- Deadly Reflections**

**But…wait…I'm not done! No I've got more for you…a special back up!**

**Future**

A shadowy figure ran from chasing police cycles behind him. The motorcycles were flying at high speeds, faster than any normal human being could run. This wasn't any normal human being.

The figure emerged from the shadows. He was dressed in a cream and scarlet suit, and an orange visor covered his eyes. His long, wild red hair flew back in the wind.

"Huf. Huf. Huf. Huf."

The man…or rather boy—he looked rather young—hopped a fence onto a yard. A man was currently at work gardening. His mouth dropped when the boy landed on top of his ferns.

"Oh, um, sorry, mister! Gotta run!" The boy continued to run, hopping the back fence. He must've outmaneuvered the cops. He had to've. He was just too smart for…

"WEEOOWEEOOWEEOO!" The police sirens blared. Behind him four designated Hot Pursuit Officers raced after him.

"Damn," The boy cursed, speeding away. He curved and the HP's behind him did too. He swerved and they did too. He couldn't run away from them. They were too fast.

"Psh!" The boy pushed away the thought.

"Impulse, as a member of the Central City Police Department's Hot Pursuit I demand you stop immediately and turn over the goods you stole!" One of the HP's shouted through a speaker.

"Yeah, in what time period did criminals ever do that?" Impulse laughed.

"If you do not turn yourself in we will be forced to use lethal force!"

"Only if you could catch me!"

A determined expression came over Impulse's face. The boy knew he could outrun them. He was descended from the Fastest Man Alive. He wasn't about to lose a race to some punk cops. 'Specially not to some corrupt United Planets cops.

_VOOSH!_

Impulse broke the sound barrier and still accelerated faster. He wasn't stopping; he wasn't slowing down. And he was easily outrunning the Hot Pursuits.

"Game over," The boy chuckled and came to a stop. In front of him stood a small army of oddly dressed and some odd-looking people.

"Impulse and the Legion of Superheroes win again!"

**End**


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